Hospital staff and members of the St. Mary's Hospital Auxiliary celebrate the Auxiliary's $200,000 donation of equipment and supplies to the hospital. The donation will be of benefit to many patients and their families and friends. (Submitted photo)

The Auxiliary is using the money to support a number of clinical units throughout the hospital. The equipment includes such diverse items as a chemotherapy treatment chair, neonatal monitor, recumbent bicycle for pulmonary-cardiac rehabilitation, an additional labor and delivery bed and more. The equipment is a combination of items needing replacement, additional sets of supplies, and new equipment for enhanced service.

Individuals waiting in the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) area while a family member is in the operating room will be among the beneficiaries. The Auxiliary will be providing an electronic patient tracking board for the ASC waiting area as well as four additional tracking/scheduling boards for other areas of the Perioperative Services Department.

"The tracking system allows individuals to monitor what stage of the surgical process the patient is in and allows them to see when the patient is being moved from one phase of surgery to the next phase," said Gina Steele, RN, director of Perioperative Services. "This tracking system can help take away some of the anxiety that waiting can cause when a loved one is in the operating room," she said. "This [the tracking board] is something patients have been asking for and we are most grateful to the Auxiliary for the donation."